


Mickey's Safe Space

by TInyT0ny



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Ian taking care of Mickey, M/M, Prison, Sick Mickey, description of injury, injured mickey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 14:21:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20427392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TInyT0ny/pseuds/TInyT0ny
Summary: Small story about Mickey & Ian in Prison. :) I don't know much about Prison, so sorry if it isn't accurate how life in Prison works :)Thank you for reading :)





	Mickey's Safe Space

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so if you see any mistakes please feel free to tell me so that i can fix it, thank you :)

Ian slowly woke up from the alarm blaring through the cold building. Loud and annoying. Every single day in the morning. A brutal wake up call. He should be used to it by now, but he wasn't. And he doesn't think he ever will. The redhead carefully moved his body onto his back. He always slept with his face towards the cell door. Always. With no exception. Yes, the door was locked, but in prison the other inmates are not the only people to worry about. Sometimes the guards can be even worse. So it is good to have an eye on the stuff that goes on on the other side of the thick piece of metal. 

Ian let out a long yawn. The nights are never long enough, never restful enough. But that was also a part of life behind bars. He knew that his first really long, peaceful sleep will be once he is out of this shithole again. But not everything in here is bad he had to admit. Ian looked down at his left hand, his fingers intertwined with five others, four with "U-UP" tattooed across them. He carefully let go of the hand after giving it a light squeeze. He turned his head to the left, lifting his now free hand a bit and moved a dark hairstrain out of Mickey's face. He was out cold and way too pale for Ian's liking. 

They always slept in the bottom bed together. Ian on the edge and Mickey between him and the wall. There was not much room, but his boyfriend was tiny and fitted in perfectly. Ian called it Mickey's Safe Space. This was the only way Ian could sleep at all at night. Knowing that Mickey was safe. Usually his boyfriend likes being the little spoon. And it came in handy when they had sex, as they didn't need to switch positions first. But since they reunited in Prison, Ian was loving it when Mickey was jetpacking. This way he could protect his boyfriend, at least at night. Of course a Milkovich doesn't need protection, but Ian had the feeling he is owning him that. He came only back because of him. Even though this place is so much more dangerous for Mickey than for himself. Terry still has lots of minions in various prisons, who would do things Ian doesn't wanna speak out loud. Plus Mickey was responsible that a huge drug cartel got blown. So who knows who is crawling around here and plotting evil stuff against his boyfriend. 

On the other hand, Ian was happy that Mickey has now a chance to have a normal life once he finished his sentence. He will not be free and a fugitive in Mexico. No. He will be free. Just free. Without fear. Without danger. Withought running away. Really free. And this time he will be by his side and he will do everything to make it a bit easier for him. No abandoning anymore. No break ups. No pushing away. Just love. His boyfriend deserved something good in his life more than anyone else he knows. Too many bad things got thrown towards him all this years. And Ian knew he was responsible for some of it too. He acted like an asshole after Mickey got raped. He never visited him in Prison. He let him cross the border alone. Every time his boyfriend needed him he abandoned him. He broke the thugs little heart way too often. But Mickey managed to put it back together. Every single time. How Mickey was still able to love him after all that happened will remain a mystery to him.

Ian thought he would never see his boyfriend again. That he fucked up everything. Once and for all. But then there he was. Standing right in front of him when he needed him the most. Mickey. Not a halluzination. No. It was Mickey. His Mickey. And Ian swore to himself he would never let him go again. Ever. He promised himself that he will keep is boyfriend safe. To love him for the rest of his life. To never give him doubt that his decision to come back for him was wrong. Not for one second. He got another chance. Not a second one, because he blew that one up long time ago. But another chance. And he was so grateful for that.

The redhead got pulled out of his thoughts when he saw a guard approaching their cell. He jumped out of the bed, hoping the guard didn't see that he was not sleeping on his own mattress. The grumpy looking man peaked through the small glass window while the key unlocked the door. He first looked at Ian and then at Mickey's sleeping form. "He okay?", the guard asked without emotion while pointing his baton towards his boyfriend. "Ah yes. He has the permission to stay in bed and missing his work at the laundry," Ian answered, trying to hide the angry tone in his voice while searching for the piece of paper Mickey gave him when he came back to their cell yesterday. For the guards they were just a number, sometimes even a last name, but never more. They don't remember what happens in here, or maybe they just don't care. Probably the latter.The guard took a quick look at the paper and nodded with a grunt. Seconds later he was gone, the door closed again, but not locked. 

Ian rubbed his face with his hands while turning back to Mickey, who was slowly waking up. The redhead was by his bedside a second later, kneeling on the hard floor. "Good Morning." Ian gave Mickey a soft kiss on his forehead. "How are you feeling?" Blue eyes stared at him before he heard a whispered "Everything hurts" from his boyfriend. Ian bit his lip while caressing Mickey's left cheek softly. He then got up to get the orange bottle from the table. He also filled a glass with cool water and returned to his kneeling position in front of Mickey. Ian popped out two pills and handed them to his boyfriend who managed to prop himself up on one elbow with lots of effort. The redhead gave him the glass of water right after the pills disappeared in his mouth. "Thank you." Again just a quiet whisper, but Ian knew how exhausted Mickey was. He watched his boyfriend taking small sips from it. Not enough for Ian's liking but it was better than nothing. 

"I am allowed to take something for you from the cafeteria when i go eating breakfast", Ian says while putting the half empty glass on the floor, "what do you wanna have?" Mickey's head rested on the flat pillow again, his cheek squished against the stiff fabric. Ian knew the answer already before he heard a whispered "Pancakes". Both knew it was just wishful thinking as they don't serve Pancakes in here. "I will get you some scrambled eggs and orange juice", Ian said with a smile and Mickey nodded slightly. He got up, but only after he gave his boyfriend another kiss on the forehead and pulling the thin blanket back over his small frame. The redhead reached for the blanket on the top bunk bed when he sees Mickey slightly shivering and carefully put it over the other one. They usually don't need the second one as they always cuddle and spoon and it would be too warm otherwise. Ian put on his clothes and slippers and stuffed his medication in one of the pockets of his overall. "I am right back", Ian told Mickey before he headed out of the door. 

The redhead had always a bad feeling in his stomach when he had to leave his boyfriend alone. He knows Mickey is able to take care of himself, to defend himself when needed. But not now. Not in his condition. Ian peaked into the cell, seeing Mickey had fallen asleep again. With a sigh he made his way to the cafeteria

While he stood in line for the second time today - the first time was when he got breakfast for himself, which he swallowed down with his meds real quick - Ian was thinking back to four days ago, when he had the worst day of his life. He had many shitty, bad days so far, but May 20th was the worst. The worst of the worst. The day he was inches away of losing Mickey. Not losing him because he broke up with him. Not losing him because he let him go to Mexico alone. No. Really losing him. Poof. Gone. Forever. With nothing being able to bring him back. Ian's eyes filled with tears which he refused to let fall. Not here. Not in the middle of a room full with other inmates. The redhead swallowed hard, trying to get his emotions under control as he watched how the guy behind the counter smashed the scrambled eggs on the plate. He grabbed a cup of orange juice, placed it on the tablet and got out of the room as fast as possible. Every minute without Mickey was a wasted minute. And he wasted already enough of those precious minutes in his life.

The Prison was loud, but Ian still tried to be as quiet as possible when he reentered their cell. Mickey's eyes were closed, so the redhead placed the tablet on the table next to the wall. Normally he would wake Mickey up so that he can eat his food warm, but Ian knew the eggs were already cold before he even took a step out of the cafeteria. So it doesn't matter anymore if the food stayed on the plate a bit longer. 

He knelt down on the same spot as before, taking in the sight in front of him. Mickey laid on his side, his pale face still showing some discomfort but Ian hoped the meds eased the pain a bit. His gaze fell on his boyfriend's left arm, which hung off the bed, peaking out of the blanket. The redhead carefully pushed the fabric up a bit, revealing a small wrist surrounded by angry red. The minute he knew Mickey needed a hospital, he knew his boyfriend would come home with something like that. Ian turned to the left and grabbed a small tube on the table with his long arms. He opened the cap, put some of the white cream on his fingers and carefully applied it onto the red marks on Mickey's skin. He was handcuffed to the rail of his hospital bed for three days. As if he would run away in the condition he was in. Ian knew it was a hospital rule for inmates. But the least they could have done was taking better care of it. Which they haven't. For them his boyfriend was just another inmate. Another waste of space. Another criminal. But for Ian Mickey was his life. His air. His everything. Even though it took him way too long to realize that.

Ian slowly turned Mickey's wrist so that he could treat the other side too. He watched as the white cream slowly disappeared in his skin, helping him heal. The redhead paid 100 Dollars for the small tube. At first he planned to steal it from the infirmary. But he knew it was a bad plan. They count everything and if something was missing and they find it in their cell, Ian would straight go to solitary. This way he was no help for Mickey. His boyfriend would come home to an empty cell, hurting and needing him but instead he had to worry where Ian was. That was not an option. So instead of stealing it, he talked with one of the stuff members of the infirmary.

Ian still had some connections from the time he worked there. It was only for a couple of weeks. There was an incident and the prison chief decided that the infirmary was not a good work enviroment for "a person like him" like he described it. Ian was angry but Mickey managed to calm him down rather quickly, something he was really good at. One guy was relatively nice to him. His name was Russel and Ian managed to get a small tube of antibiotic cream from him. Not for free of course. First Russel wanted a blowjob but Ian refused. No cheating on Mickey, this was something else he promised himself. He made the mistake once, doing a porno to help his boyfriend with money. Back in the day he didn't understand why his boyfriend was so upset about it. But now he knows how much he hurt him with his actions. So the guy made him another offer, 100 Dollars. That was a lot for a small tube you can get in a drug store for 10 Dollars. But it was for Mickey and Mickey was worth all the money in the world, so he paid it gladly. 

Ian finished his work but did not let go of his hand yet. He softly stroked over the "U" Tattoo on Mickey's ringfinger. One day there will be a wedding band on it, his boyfriend just doesn't know about it yet. He was in deep thoughts when he looked towards Mickey and sees blue eyes meeting his. There was even a tiny smile on his lips. Ian's eyes lit up in a second. "Hey Cinderella, did i wake you up?" "Stop stealing my nicknames for you", Mickey answered quietly after he carefully shook his head no. Ian smiled. "Feeling any better?" A weird question as Ian was only gone for maybe 15 minutes, but he hoped the medication did its job already a bit. They were still holding hands while the redhead waited for an answer. 

"I love you." Three whispered words filled the silence in their small cell. Not the answer Ian expected but still the most beautiful words he ever heard out of Mickey's mouth. Not that it was the first time he said it. But Ian took those three little words for granted for so long. Took Mickey for granted for so long. Thought Mickey would always be there for him, until he wasn't. He tried to be in other relationships but the love was never there. The thrill he felt with Mickey was never there. "I love you too." Ian let go of the hand, cupped his boyfriend's face in his hands and carefully put his lips on Mickey's. The softest, most kissable lips he was ever allowed to touch. 

"Please lay down with me," he heard Mickey whisper as soon as they pulled apart. Ian dropped his hands while he gazed into his boyfriend's eyes as if he was searching for an answer. He wanted nothing more than being as close to Mickey as possible. Feeling his warm body against his own. But it was day. And day was different than night. They had to be careful. They took already a huge risk by kissing in their cell. Mickey seemed to have read his mind as his voice filled the silence they had created. "As if those people haven't figured it out yet. Especially after that one night they probably all know." His boyfriend was right. After carrying Mickey bridal style through half the prison, crying, butt naked and screaming for help, it was clear as the day that they were more than friends or fuck buddies. 

Ian took his slippers off while watching Mickey slowly moving towards the wall, towards his safe space, wincing in the process. Ian laid down next to him, the mattress still warm from his boyfriend's body. He reached for the blanket and covered both of them. The thin grey fabric ended right underneath the white gauze that graced part of Mickeys left upper body. 

It happened so fast, yet for Ian it seemed as if everything played in slow motion. Slow slow motion. Extremely slow motion. Almost a still image. He was just coming out of one of the shower stalls, walking towards Mickey, who stood at the sink styling his hair. The redhead prepared to hug him from behind and shower him with millions of tiny kisses as they were alone in the bathroom. Only they weren't. Ian got roughly pushed to the ground and before he could grasp what just happened, he saw how the same guy turned Mickey around and stabbed him with a screwdriver. Three times. Blue eyes went wide and Ian rushed to his boyfriend's side before his body could hit the floor. The other guy seemed frozen. Shocked what he had done. Then he ran away. Later Ian found out the reason why he seemed so shocked was because he stabbed the wrong guy. Yes. Mickey had to suffer because the guy had mistaken him for someone else. His boyfriend almost died because the guy couldn't get his damn job done right. 

"It's okay." Mickey's voice hit his ears. He tore his gaze away from the bandage and looked towards his boyfriend, shaking his head. "No, it's not," his voice was small, heavy with sadness, "you almost died, that is not okay." Ian blinked some tears away, yet they still managed to find a way down his cheek. Mickey's soft hand slowly wiped them away. "Not the first time someone hurt me. I am okay." Ian stared at him, taking in the beautiful features in front of him. More tears streamed down his face. Ian pulled Mickey carefully into a hug, holding him close without hurting his wounds.

The wounds were small. Not bigger than those white pills Ian has to take for his bipolar disorder. So small yet they almost killed his boyfriend. The screwdriver punctured his spleen two times and his stomach one time. Gave him a major internal bleeding. Mickey had to say goodbye to his spleen but Ian knew that a person was able to live a normal life without it. He read it in one of those medical books in the library. He got a job there after he got fired from the infirmary. 

He was scared to death when he held Mickey's body. There was so much blood on the tiles underneah him and it got more as the seconds ticked away. Ian used the towel around his waist, pressed it hard on his boyfriends wounds while whispering "I am sorry, I am sorry" like a mantra. He lifted Mickey up like he weighted nothing, agonizing sounds coming out of his mouth. He knew he hurted him but he had no other choice. He ran out of the bathroom, into the corridor, screaming, a bleeding Mickey in his arms. 

The Prison was so loud. So fucking loud. Yet all Ian could hear was a plop. plop ... plop ... plop. Like the broken tap in one of the bathrooms. Only it was not a broken tap. It was Mickey's blood falling from the edge of the towel, hitting the floor, leaving a disgusting red trail behind them. His boyfriend was unconscious by the time a prison guard came to help them. Ian refused to let Mickey go and ran to the infirmary, the guard one step ahead to unlock the doors. 

After that everything was a blur. They put Mickey on a stretcher and rushed him to the nearest Hospital. It took Ian a full day before anyone told him something. It was Russel, the guy who sold him the antibiotic cream, who had pity with him and gave him the information that Mickey had Emergency Surgery and was alive. That was all Ian needed to hear to calm him down a bit. Still, he was not allowed to visit his boyfriend in hospital, so he waited. Three days. The longest three days in his life. Then he was able to hold Mickey in his arms again. He was weak and tired. But he was back. Solid. Warm. Alive. Usually patients are hospitalized much longer for such kind of injuries but criminals don't get that privilege. So once Mickey was back home, safe in his arms where he belonged, he made sure to nurse him back to health as best as he could. 

A tiny snoring sound filled the air. Ian smiled and kissed the top of Mickey's head, hoping his boyfriend will have a restful sleep. During those three Mickey-less days Ian had lots of time for thinking. The guy who hurt his boyfriend was not allowed to get away with it. The prison chief sent him to solitary for two weeks. What a weak, laughable punishment for almost killing another human being. Ian knew that he wanted to revenge Mickey. His boyfriend may be here sleeping in his arms again, but the doctor said it will take a long time until he is fully healed. And it will effect him for the rest of his life. He has to be careful with infections as they don't heal as fast as they used to now that an organ was missing. The same goes for flu's and cold's and all that other stuff. But they will get through it together, just like Mickey once said. Thick and thin, good times, bad, sickness, health, all that shit. 

The End.


End file.
